SANDF members’ salaries could be adjusted if recommendation accepted

Members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF)‚ who are in the employ of the department permanently and get satisfactory performance scores‚ will receive adjustments to their salaries‚ if a recommendation in a notice gazetted by the Department of Defence Force on Friday last week is approved, writes Nomahlubi Jordaan.

The adjustment to salaries of SANDF members is a recommendation made by the Defence Force Service Commission Pay and Service Benefits Committee following former defence force minister Lindiwe Sisulu’s recommendation on delinking salary from rank‚ who found that “… a great number of our soldiers are trapped in particular ranks with no prospect of improvement of their salaries”.

According to the notice‚ salary adjustments will be subject to “completed continuous years of service in a rank and corresponding grade” and recognition of performance.

“SANDF members of any rank who have completed 15 years of continuous service in a particular rank‚ who have obtained at least a satisfactory rating in their most recent performance assessments‚ shall progress to their next salary grading‚” the notice reads.

The adjustments do not constitute a promotion. Members will still hold their ranks‚ but receive a salary hike‚ the department said in the notice.

“In practical terms‚ this means that when a member is appointed to the rank of Private and is remunerated in terms of salary Grade B 1 (for Private)‚ he or she will progress and be remunerated in terms of salary Grade B2 (for Lance Corporal).

“The DFSC [Defence Force Service Commission] found that the proposed modified model of the public service will be more beneficial for members as this will also contribute to their pension as opposed to a once- off allowance that was not pensionable‚” reads the notice.

The total number of members that would be affected by the salary adjustment is 8‚894 and the estimated cost would be R87‚568‚650.